2020-retreats-and-courses-brochure

RETREATS & COURSES 2020 The Benedictine monks of DOUAI ABBEY invite you to enter into quiet and reflection in their monastery A Year of the Word (Designated by the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales) DOUAI ABBEY RETREATS & COURSES PROGRAMME 2020 To mark the 10th anniversary of the publication of Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Exhortation 'Verbum Domini' (The Word of God) the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales have designated 2020 as the Year of the Word, entitled 'The God Who Speaks' This year we are especially pleased to be able to offer a range of interesting and informative weekends emphasising the Year of the Word We hope these weekends will help to deepen knowledge and understanding of God's Word, encouraging prayer and reading of the scriptures that all might come to encounter, know and love the Lord more deeply In order to create the right dynamic for discussion and comfortable use of the conference room facilities, numbers are usually limited to 10, unless there is a big demand at times such as the Easter retreat, with 11 places being more usual for Lectio Divina retreats The offer is for a residential experience We regret that we not accept day participants (unless advertised), as from experience we have found that this can adversely affect the dynamic of the retreat experience for a small residential group Bookings are processed by the guest office, and may be made by completing the booking form enclosed with this programme booklet or on our website The Guest House require that retreats are booked no later than weeks before each event so that we can maintain availability of rooms for other guests Bookings are usually closed weeks prior to an event ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE TIMES Guests for retreats should arrive at reception 16.00 – 17.30 on the first day of the retreat, departing after lunch on the last day, except for weekday Lectio Divina retreats which finish after breakfast Rooms should be vacated by 09.00 on the final morning The first session or conference of weekends is usually after Compline (Night Prayer) on the first evening (at about 20.30) If you are likely to arrive later than the designated time, or are unexpectedly delayed, please inform us as soon as possible: 0118 971 5310 Fr Gabriel (gabriel@douaiabbey.org.uk) 0118 971 5399 Fr Oliver (guestmaster@douaiabbey.org.uk) Please park cars on the car park rather than in front of reception or elsewhere in the grounds TRAVEL Douai Abbey is one mile north of the A4 at Woolhampton, Berkshire, about halfway between Reading and Newbury By train – stop at Midgham, served from London, Paddington, Reading & Newbury The local bus is No – Reading – Newbury, alighting at Woolhampton (The Angel Pub) National Express buses used to stop at Calcot which was convenient, but now stop off Junction 11 of the M4, which is not so near There is an affordable and regular taxi service to bring guests up the hill from Midgham Station, but guests are advised to phone and make arrangements with the company in advance of travelling: Jennie's Taxis: 0796 77 66 970 Kennet & Avon Taxis: 01635 847853 INDIVIDUALLY GUIDED RETREATS These are available under the guidance of monks, by appointment, and normally run from Tuesday (after lunch) to Friday morning, ending after breakfast We try to accommodate suitable times for guests, subject to availability of a monk (we all have other duties and commitments), while we are limited to offering only IGRs per month due to high demand and limited resources Individuals are also welcome to spend time in the Guest House, making their own silent retreat This year the silent group retreats we have run in the past will be focused on eucharistic adoration, the 'word-event' of the eucharistic being entirely in keeping with the emphasis on The Year of the Word To make an individual silent retreat at a time of your own choice, or an IGR, please contact Fr Gabriel first, who will advise firstly that we can guarantee a quiet time when we not have large groups in or other external groups using our grounds or facilities IGRs take a while to set up, especially as monks are busy multi-tasking and need to be free from other distractions to lead an IGR For this reason t is best to try to organise an IGR several weeks in advance Short notice usually results in disappointment SILENCE Our guests have very varied expectations of silence when they visit us Some guests and groups want silence, including mealtimes, while other groups or individuals want to talk, and it can be very difficult to keep everyone happy Although silence is the back-drop of a monastery and the reason most people want to visit, we can not make silence compulsory for everyone at all times Indeed many guests have realised that there are sounds and noises in a monastery that can not be controlled, such as aircraft overhead or owls at night! It is helpful to appreciate monastic silence by starting with the Rule of St Benedict The Rule treats silence as a charity to others' inner silence so that we might always be attentive to the presence of God The real enclosure in which silence is preserved is the enclosure of the heart The monastery enclosure and periods of observed silence during the day are ordered towards the preservation of the inner enclosure of the heart and charity towards others who are striving to attain a state of prayerful attention to God's presence Silence, however, is not an absolute value, and we have to be careful not to become fundamentalist about it While absolute silence around us is always difficult to achieve at all times, due to natural environmental noise beyond our control, this does not mean we can never attain inner silence Conversely, we might find ourselves in total blissful silence, only to become aware that our inner silence is disturbed by the noise of anger or the inner dialogue of daily distractions, or perhaps some emotional response to something happening in our lives A balanced and sensible approach to silence is needed by monastics and by those who come to share their lives The backdrop of the world is noise, which many want to escape, and so it is reasonable to expect to so in a monastery whose backdrop is silence This silence has a prophetic meaning in monasteries, speaking to the world of our witness and attentiveness to the God who speaks in silence The world either refuses to listen or is unable to hear because of its many distractions But we also have to live this witness in the real world where owls hoot at night, deer bark in the small hours and lawnmowers have to manicure the grounds to keep them beautiful Moreover, monks and nuns sometimes have to speak We not, as is sometimes believed, take a vow of silence! I smile, recalling a time I was asking some guests at breakfast if they were all right and had slept well I was exercising Benedictine hospitality A man shushed me! And quite loudly! Charity, I had to explain, always overrides silence Even the desert Fathers broke their silence in charity towards pilgrims who came to see them During your time at Douai Abbey we invite you to help us always to foster a spirit of peace and recollection by observing silence at certain times and in certain places such as the Abbey Church Silence is observed as a charity towards others who want to pray after lauds and vespers, while in the church and after compline Please be aware that novices live close to the guest rooms in the south block and can easily be disturbed by noisy shoes on the wooden floors, loud talking late at night and by music or radios in rooms after 10pm Monks go to bed early and rise early The community is known for being warm and welcoming, but ask that as far as possible guests communicate with the Guest Master, Fr Oliver, or the Director of retreats, Fr Gabriel SPIRITUAL DIRECTION While we offer guided retreats and are available for confessions if needed, we are unable to offer spiritual direction Fr Gabriel Wilson Retreats & Courses Director RETREATS & COURSES 2020 FEBRUARY Saturday 8th (10am-4.00pm) Training Day for Ministry of Reader* 21-23 Monastic Experience Weekend (Ash Wed 26th) MARCH 6-8 Lent Retreat 13-15 Mindfulness At Work Retreat A Christian Perspective 27-29 Through Lent with the Gospel of Matthew* APRIL 9-12 Easter Retreat* Were You There When They Crucified My Lord? MAY 8-10 A Letter on the Heart* Paul as Icon; Paul as Word 15-17 St Therese of Lisieux Retreat The Saint of Love Tues 19 – Fri 22 Lectio Divina Retreat* The God Who Speaks JUNE 5-7 Meditative Walking Retreat Longing & The Celtic Spirituality of The Journey 26-28 In the Footsteps of St Paul Retreat* JULY 10-12 Let There Be Light Retreat* 24-26 Douai History Weekend The Journey from Exile SEPTEMBER 4-6 Gospel Women In Painting & Poetry Retreat* 25-27 Monastic Experience Weekend OCTOBER 9-11 Adoration Silent Retreat* A Word Event 23-25 Music Retreat 30 Oct – Nov A Spiritual Journey through Haydn's 'Creation' Christian Mindfulness Forum NOVEMBER 6-8 Novels & Short Stories in the Bible* Tues 10 – Fri 13 Lectio Divina Retreat* The God Who Speaks Start of Advent Retreat Preparing the Way 27-29 (Start of Advent 29th) DECEMBER 11-13 * Year Of The Word focus Pre Christmas Retreat Angelic Announcements and Antiphons SILENT INDIVIDUAL RETREATS by individual arrangement Many people prefer to come and enjoy the silence and peacefulness of a private retreat at Douai Abbey Here we offer the opportunity to experience the particular silence that monastic life has to offer, in a beautiful setting of an inspiring Abbey Church and attractive grounds set in rural Berkshire Come and enjoy the silence of the monastery, taking time to pray, read and walk, or just to sit in the tranquillity of our beautiful grounds alongside chickens, ducks and a wild-flower meadow Join the monks praying the office and for mass, and take meals with the community Relax These are all the right conditions for leaving behind the stress and rush of life and for sitting still and listening to God who is always present to us Cost: £ 118 single occupancy (all rooms fully en suite) £90 per person for those sharing GOSPEL WOMEN IN PAINTING & POETRY Led By Sister Magdalen Lawlor SND 4-6 September 2020 A time to explore the encounters of Jesus with women in the Gospels We will use scripture, and paintings in particular, to discover Jesus in the company of a number of women, ' who followed him, ministered to him and came up to Jerusalem with him.' (Mk15:40/41) Sr Magdalen has degrees in Art and Art History in Liverpool, and Master of Theology and Pastoral Care at Heythrop, London University In 1980 she trained in Ignatian Spirituality at St Bueno's Centre, N Wales She has experience in secondary and tertiary education and residential retreats for students and young adults Since 2000 she has worked in pastoral formation and retreat work through out the UK, especially with women, and in ecumenical projects She is especially interested in the relationship between spirituality and visual arts Cost: £160 (All rooms fully en suite) £128 per person for those sharing MONASTIC EXPERIENCE WEEKEND A weekend for men 18-40, to explore our Alongsider Programme 25-27 September 2020 Come and join the community for a weekend, exploring the Alongsider Programme Since 2018 we have had Alongsiders who have each spent months with the community, experiencing monastic life by living within the enclosure and working alongside the monks in the Work of God and in our daily manual labour The weekend would suit those who are discerning a vocation, but the programme is not exclusively for men considering a call to monastic life More fundamentally it aims to provide an opportunity to step aside from the distractions of the world so that for a period of time participants might deepen their faith with closer attention to living in the presence of God The weekend will be a chance to meet the community informally and to investigate the programme, with no obligation to apply Participants will join the monks for liturgies and meals and for recreation after lunch Cost: No charge SILENT ADORATION RETREAT A Word Event 9-11 October 2020 Throughout history eucharistic adoration has been the centre of the spiritual life for many Catholics, including many important intellectuals: St Thomas Aquinas, Blessed John Henry Newman, Dorothy Day, GK Chesterton, Jacques Maritain, St Edith Stein, Karol Wojtyla (Pope St JP II) The Theologian Karl Rahner wrote that 'the eucharist is always a Word event' because the power of the words of Jesus Christ at the consecration effect the change that makes Christ present in the eucharist Even in the tabernacle, therefore, the eucharist remains a Word event, harkening back to the liturgy and returning to the liturgy We invite you to a silent retreat in the presence of the eucharistic Lord In The Year of the Word, let us renew our devotion to the Sacrament of Love, the Word event which is the source and summit of Christian life Short readings will be provided for reflection during the weekend Cost: £145 (All rooms fully en suite) £116 per person for those sharing MUSIC RETREAT Made in the Image of God: A Spiritual Journey through Haydn's Creation Led By Peter Asprey 23-25 October 2020 Haydn completed his monumental choral work The Creation in 1798, inspired by two visits to London in the 1790’s It is one of the crowning achievements of a composer who lived a life as a devout Christian, often beginning the manuscript of each of his compositions with "in nomine Domini" ("in the name of the Lord") and ending them with "Laus Deo" ("praise be to God”) Haydn’s work poses questions of us, none more so than what it means that we are made in the image of God When we live out of this fundamental identity we can form healthy relationships with God, ourselves, others and the creation we have been given to steward This retreat is an opportunity to go deeper into these things, aided by the teachings of the Church and accompanied by Haydn’s wonderful music Peter Asprey is the Director of Music at Holy Sepulchre, London, the National Musicians’ Church He is a professional conductor and singing teacher with a degree in Music from Cambridge University and a Postgraduate Diploma from the Royal College of Music He is a Roman Catholic with a rich spiritual background that encompasses a broad spectrum of the Christian tradition Cost: £160 (All rooms fully en suite) £128 per person for those sharing CHRISTIAN MINDFULNESS FORUM Led By Martin Zetter & Christopher Greener OSB 30 October – November 2020 In this forum on meditation and mindfulness there will be times for practice, providing options for the experienced or beginner, and for exploring themes; these themes will be detailed on the following website: www.meditationshub.com where suggestions for the retreat can be made, as well as providing information and handouts from previous retreats Martin Zetter learnt mindfulness practice under Dr Michael Sinclair He worked as an accountant in the City of London for 35 years, more latterly assisting young people starting up businesses He has led previous retreats at Douai Abbey on Christian mindfulness Cost: £160 (All rooms fully en suite) £128 per person for those sharing NOVELS & SHORT STORIES IN THE BIBLE Led by Gervase Holdaway OBS 6-8 November 2020 During the weekend we shall study the Books of Ruth, Esther, Judith, Tobit and Jonah, considering their literary categories, style, and their purpose and teaching No previous knowledge is required Fr Gervase is Oblate Master at Douai Abbey He is an accomplished organist and for many years ran the Pastoral Programme He continues to lead days of recollection for parish groups, including Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, training days for parish readers and weekends in Lectio Divina His other responsibilities are as baker and jam-maker for the monastic community Cost: £145 (All rooms fully en suite) £116 per person for those sharing LECTIO DIVINA RETREAT The God Who Speaks Led By Gervase Holdaway OSB Tuesday 10 – Friday 13 November 2020 Experience a way of praying with scripture, an ancient art, at one time practised by all Christians It is a slow, contemplative prayer which enables one to listen to God speaking through His holy Word and to make a prayerful response The retreat allows time for sharing, solitude and reflection NB This retreat finishes after breakfast on Friday Limited to 11 participants Fr Gervase is Oblate Master at Douai Abbey He is an accomplished organist and for many years ran the Pastoral Programme He continues to lead days of recollection for parish groups, including Extraordinary Mnisters of the Eucharist, training days for parish readers and weekends in Lectio Divina His other responsibilities are as baker and jam-maker for the monastic community Cost: £200 (All rooms fully en suite) £160 per person for those sharing START OF ADVENT RETREAT Preparing the Way (Bach B Minor Mass) Led By Euan Tait 27-29 November 2020 This weekend begins the great spiritual exploration that Advent opens up for us, enabling us to celebrate our journey and yet seek new ways of developing our discipleship Through the great music of Bach’s B Minor Mass, this weekend takes a fresh approach to this joyful and challenging process, by exploring our Eucharistic pilgrimage, where in the weekly Mass, in trust and hope, we bring all that we are to the table of God Each session will explore the movements of this great work in detail, glimpsing their inner world through meditative talks that aim to act as a catalyst for our own reflections – aided by poetry and scriptural reflections, and an emphasis on Douai’s great Benedictine spirituality Euan Tait is both a librettist with an international reputation and an experienced retreat leader who works in communities all over the UK, including Minsteracres and Belmont He was for many years a member of the L’Arche community in Bognor Regis, and now teaches at a college in western England More information can be found at http://euantait.com Cost: £160 (All rooms fully en suite) £128 per person for those sharing PRE CHRISTMAS RETREAT Angelic Announcements and Antiphons Led by Simon Hill OSB 11-13 December 2020 A weekend exploring the liturgical season, from the monastic office, and the Gospel passages at mass to the Great O Antiphons heralding the coming of Christ Through the stories of the Nativity and the Infancy Narratives with their three angelic announcements of the coming saviour, the weekend will draw out the distinctive character of this liturgical season and reveal more about the development of Christmastide that took nearly 500 years to become the Feast we celebrate today Brother Simon spent 25 years in the world of Training and Consultancy in manufacturing before beginning his monastic vocation in 1999 He is deacon, assistant to the Bursar, Secretary to the Parishes' Trust, assistant infirmarian, and does many varied jobs in the monastery, such as overseeing the maintenance of the cars, shopping, brewing and supervising church cleaning Cost: £145 (All rooms fully en suite) £116 per person for those sharing BOOKING Booking for courses and retreats may be done either by contacting the guestmaster directly, and asking for a booking form, or by completing an online form through our website Guest Master – Fr Oliver Holt (or Elsa – Tues - Fri) guestmaster@douaiabbey.org.uk Website – go to the Douai Abbey Home Page  click on menu bar What we  click drop down menu on Retreats & Courses  click on drop down menu Bookings  complete the form and submit If you book online, you should expect to hear within a few days that your booking has been made Guest Master (Fr Oliver) deals with all bookings Special diets and requests for specific rooms should be made to Fr Finbar (or Elsa) in the Guest Master's Office guestmaster@douaiabbey.org.uk 0118 971 5399 Retreats & Courses Director ( Fr Gabriel) deals with general questions regarding retreats and courses, such as availability of places, and organising IGRs, prior to booking gabriel@douaiabbey.org.uk 0118 971 5310 CANCELLATIONS If you have booked a retreat / Course and need to cancel, please let Fr Gabriel know as soon as possible, as allocated rooms can not easily be filled at the last minute, resulting in a financial loss to the guesthouse Significant numbers of last minute cancellations may also affect the viability of a retreat / course, as we can not run events with fewer than participants Our usual practice is not to refund payments made in advance for cancellations that are not caused by some crisis or urgent reason ARRIVAL TIMES Please note that the guest house is closed from Sunday pm – Tues pm All arrivals are at the reception area to the right of the Abbey Church as you enter the main entrance A monk is usually on duty at reception, to check arrivals in and to give them their room keys  Weekend events (Fri-Sun)  Saturday events (10.00-16.00) Arrivals: 16.00 – 17.30 hrs Departures: 14.00 – 14.30 hrs after Sunday lunch  Weekday events (Tues- Fri / Thurs – Sun) including IGRs & silent retreats /Lectio Divina Arrivals: 16.00 – 17.30 hrs Departures: 9.30 hrs  Easter Triduum Arrivals (Maundy Thurs): 16.00- 17.30 Departures (Easter Sunday): 14.00 – 14.30 Rooms must be vacated by 09.30 hrs PAYMENT There is no deposit to pay for retreats and courses, and payment is usually made during the event, but payment may be made in advance  by cheque (payable to Douai Abbey) sent to Fr Gabriel Wilson  by credit card  by electronic banking: Account Name: Douai Abbey Bank: Nat West, Market Place, Newbury Sort Code: 60-15-07 Account: 65317459 If you pay by BACs, please inform Fr Gabriel or Fr Oliver (bursar@douaiabbey.org.uk) of the date that you have made the payment, so that the Bursar can identify the payment PRICES 2020 EVENT Weekend retreat  led by monk  led by other Individual Guided Retreat DAY DAY COST (Single) COST (Shared) £145 £160 £116 £128 £300 £250 DAY Silent Retreat Lectio Divina Easter Retreat £200 £141.60 (2 days) £200 £200 £160 £160